Jet boat forward thrust is enabled using a jet pump for accelerating water away from the jet boat stern-panel to accelerate the boat forward. Jet boat reverse thrust is enabled by redirecting the jet pump thrust towards the jet boat stern-panel to accelerate the boat backward. Redirecting the jet pump thrust is enabled using a “reverse gate”, where a reverse gate is a semi-circular cavity that is pivoted into the jet pump flow-stream to redirect water flow to the opposite direction and create reverse thrust as shown by Jones et. al (U.S. Pat. No. 5,752,864), who teaches a reverse gate for pivoting into a jet pump flow-stream for personal watercraft to enable reverse operation. While personal watercraft generally do not have a stern-panel, stern-panels are common to jet boats and other larger vessels.
It is common for reverse gate devices to be used with jet boats for enabling reverse thrust. When attached to jet pumps of jet boats, the reverse gate redirects the water flow to the stern-panel, and the exit port disperses the flow-stream in a generally wide pattern. The reverse gate flow-stream rapidly decelerates by having a disperse output, thus reducing the reverse capabilities of the jet boat. Additionally, a substantial portion of the dispersed water flow from the reverse gate flow-stream is directed into the jet boat stern-panel where it terminates, further reducing the reverse capabilities of the jet boat. The portion of the water that does not terminate into the stern-panel moves beneath the jet boat hull and slowly propels the boat in reverse direction. The dispersed flow-stream is unsuitable for reverse steering when operating the jet pump steering nozzle.
The current method of addressing these barriers is to operate the jet pump in a high-output mode to slowly reverse. Such operation is undesirable to jet boat enthusiasts who generally think it to be inadequate reverse thrust for the horsepower expended and a process where greater efficiency is needed.